Forbes: Top-Earning Dead Celebrities 2012

Bob Marley

Not necessarily known for commercial ventures during life, Bob Marley has become a diversified businessman from beyond the grave. In addition to selling over 75 million albums in the past 20 years, he’s recently added the Marley Beverage company (home to the “relaxation drink” known as Marley’s Mellow Mood) and House of Marley (producer of eco-friendly audio and lifestyle products) to his portfolio.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Bob MarleyNot necessarily known for commercial ventures during life, Bob Marley has become a diversified businessman from beyond the grave. In addition to selling over 75 million albums in the past 20 years, he’s recently added the Marley Beverage company (home to the “relaxation drink” known as Marley’s Mellow Mood) and House of Marley (producer of eco-friendly audio and lifestyle products) to his portfolio.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Charles SchulzIt’s been 67 years since the Peanuts comic strip debuted but Charlie Brown and his gang are as hot as ever. The estate, in a partnership with Iconix Brand Group , brings in plenty of money through licensing and advertisement deals with companies like Met Life. Next up for Peanuts: the big screen. Fox recently announced that a Peanuts movie is in the works from the makers of "Ice Age."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Elvis PresleyThe King of Rock n’ Roll’s earnings are flat this year—the closure of his "Viva Elvis" show in Las Vegas was offset by an uptick in Graceland attendance due to last year’s unusually warm weather. The estate’s value was clear to billionaire Leon Black, whose Apollo Global Management purchased CKX, the parent company of American Idol and the estates of both Elvis and Muhammad Ali, for $509 million last year.

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Michael JacksonMusic’s postmortem cash king has earned more than any single living artist since his death. Jackson continues to rake in revenues from the work of other artists (through his 50% stake in the Sony/ATV publishing catalog), his own material (the Mijac Music catalog), a Cirque du Soleil show (the "Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour") and other sources. His total would be even higher if Forbes hadn’t credited the advance for the latter to last year’s $170 million total.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Elizabeth TaylorTaylor tops our list this year thanks to Christie’s record-breaking sale of the late movie star’s jewelry and art. The massive sale, which took place in New York and London, brought in $184 million. The most expensive piece sold was a Van Gogh painting which sold for $24.6 million. Now that Taylor’s friends and family are set for life financially, her estate will turn its attention to how best to exploit Taylor’s image. There’s lots of potential in Taylor’s embodiment of old Hollywood glamour.